Lauren Behfarin saw a need for sophisticated design geared toward growing families.

Arriving home from the hospital with your newborn for the first time, rocking your infant child back to sleep, reading a book with your talkative toddler — a nursery will become the setting for endless, lasting memories as your child grows.

From falling in love with their first smile to cheering along their first steps, parents will inevitability spend many heartwarming hours in their child’s nursery — which means the space should bring joy to both parents and children for years to come.

Designing the perfect nursery may seem intimidating, but luckily this interior designer understands the importance of creating a space filled with love, care and joy.

Five years ago, Lauren Behfarin designed her daughter’s nursery in preparation for her first child’s arrival. She quickly discovered a gap in family-friendly design, and created Lauren Behfarin Design. “Once I had a family, I wanted to do more work geared toward children and younger families,” says Behfarin, who previously worked for Drew McGukin Interiors.

With a growing clientele, the trendy NYC-based interior design firm now designs spaces for new parents and growing families that are vibrant and sophisticated yet comfortable and livable. Understanding the emotion and love that goes into each space created for a child, Behfarin has found that “nurseries and children’s spaces often become an extension of a home.”

How to Design the Perfect Nursery

Accent Walls — “There is always an accent wall, whether it’s a really cool decal, cool paint color or interesting wallpaper,” Behfarin says. “There should always be a fun backdrop to one of the walls in a nursery, and it’s usually the one with the crib.”

Minimal Themes — Cautious to not take a theme too far, Behfarin always suggests incorporating components from a theme, such as accent pieces or different colors. “There are ways to bring in a theme that are not too thematic,” she notes.

Neutral Colors — “There has been a shift toward gender neutral colors, such as grays, creams and whites,” Behfarin says. “People are prioritizing style. The standard pink and baby blue are not popular right now, and I think it is because style, form and function are so big in the city right now.”

Acrylics — This year, Behfarin is seeing a lot acrylics. “Homeowners are loving acrylic cribs with acrylic bars, or chairs with acrylic legs,” she explains. “Acrylic accents have shown up a more recently, I think as way to make a nursery modern.”

Organized Spaces — Whether it is a bunk bed with shelves, a coffee table with compartments or an ottoman with storage inside, Behfarin appreciates and understands the fluidity of space. “Homeowners are constantly reimagining how their space is being used,” she explains. “The hustle and bustle of the city has caused us to pay attention to creative and innovate ways to save space.”

Photo courtesy of Credit to @gracefullgrit

Photo courtesy of @daniafarhatinteriors

Floral

The floral trend is going strong. Floral decor used in kids’ bedrooms brings in a bright and cheery touch.

The paper flower business has boomed tremendously over the past couple of years. They are customizable and come in different variations, colors and styles. Floral wall decals are another type of floral decor. They also come in various sizes, colors and styles. This is a great way to add texture and variety to a space without being committed long term. Wall murals are used as a dramatic way to bring floral themes into a space. There are some beautiful variations available. Bold and larger floral prints are currently trending.

Photo courtesy of @nanlindy

Photo courtesy of @daniafarhatinteriors

Personalized Wall Decor

Personalized wall decor is all the rage these days. They come in different variations and add a personal touch to a kid’s room. There are so many cute personalized wall decor options available.

Reflecting the creative minds of children, these luxury playhouses offer princesses, superheroes and monsters the chance to explore, learn and discover from the comfort of their own backyards.

Whether it’s a princess castle, cozy cottage or luxurious mansion, each playhouse also offers beautiful aesthetics that will make parents happy. While most adults value high-quality construction and contemporary design, many of us still have an inner-child within. Brian Grossman, partner at Grossman Design Build — a company that has begun building playhouses for children in the Make-A-Wish foundation — understands this. “We used to build forts and playhouses as a kid all the time and we always dreamed of being able to do something like this,” he says.  

With the help of these adult-led companies — Lilliput Play Homes, Grossman Design Build and Charmed Playhouses, each creative playhouse can now embrace a sense of imagination that’s only truly be found in a child.

After trying to find the perfect playhouse for their daughter, founder Stephen Chernicky and her husband decided to create the first Victorian Mansion playhouse and launch Lilliput Play Homes.

Since its inception, the family company has taken personal pride in the creation of every wooden playhouse and has emphasized the belief that children should have a special place of their own to grow and discover.

From foundation to furniture, this custom playhouse was built by Grossman Design Build, a full-service architecture and construction company. Whether it’s the stone exterior, sunny screen room or cozy interior, each area of this playhouse was designed with both parents and children in mind.

Having started building custom playhouses two years ago, the team has since built 10 for the the Make-A-Wish north Texas Chapter. “We are teaming up with Make-A-Wish to build modular, custom playhouses that we can ship across the country to anyone who wishes to buy one and then we will donate playhouses to Make-A-Wish with a portion of the proceeds,” explains Grossman.

These hand-crafted, solid-wood playhouses and treehouses are designed for the most imaginative children. Working alongside industry-leading architects, this Canada-based company designs each playhouses to provide an out-of-this-world escape.

Hidden Campsite.

Built on the edge of a canyon where two arroyos meet, the hidden campsite is two miles from Maravilla and offers residents the opportunity to experience the Baja desert uninterrupted. The campsite features a main palapa with a kitchen. The luxury camping tents feature one bedroom with a separate living area and outdoor shower. Residents also have access to picnic packages or chef service for dining. A camping butler is on hand for overnight stays as well. Activities include world-class hiking and mountain biking with plans for archery and ax-throwing sites.

The Club.

Not only is the 60,000-square-foot clubhouse the community centerpiece and social hub, it has several standout features including a 3-level infinity pool with a water slide, lap and plunge pools, a full-service spa, fitness center and 2-story climbing wall, lawn sports courts, an outdoor amphitheater and indoor theater, as well as fully-equipped kids’ activity center.

A Wine Club.

Dubbed “uncorked!” The Cliffs Wine Consortium is a monthly wine club led by The Cliffs Beverage Director, Eric Cooperman, a certified sommelier and wine specialist. Exclusively offered to more than 6,000 Cliffs members, the program offers unbeatable wine deals up to 40% off retail price. The subscription-based program encourages members to enjoy different wines, including an array of varietals and regions. The Cliffs offers tastings on a weekly basis and hosts wine pairing dinners.